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A tool for the consummate cabinetmaker Maki춞塵 d Plane a Pan by Charles Dolan Adjuster "As-in. drill rod Brass cap Counterbore to fit collar. Knob, press fit Groove for adjuster I , Setscrew holds pin on nut block in axle. Adjuster is optional; author says plane would work just as well without it; just use a hammer to set and square the iron, as in a wooden plane. Recess engages cap-iron screwhead. Wedge /}- I �� ... ----II------ 1h Drill Throat detail Pattern for side Nut block as slip fit. Sole plane, however, lacked its original iron, and after much searching in vain, I finally decided to try making one for it myself. The resurrected plane performed so well that I thought I'd attempt to make a companion for it-a 16-in. panel plane of similar design-from scratch. A panel plane is the cabinetmakers' refined equivalent of the jack plane used by carpenters and joiners. At first glance, making a tool such as this might seem too daunting, yet I found the task pleasant on the whole, and ultimately very rewarding. I use the plane almost daily in my work as a specialty contractor and restorer, and I continue to be amazed at the way this hefty tool seems to sit down on the wood, leaving me free to push and control it rather than having to force the iron into the work. It is very unlikely that a tool such as this could ever be made commercially today and few of the old ones ever find their way to the marketplace. When new, this grade of plane cost several times the price of the Stanley/Bailey tools, which were, in turn, much more expensive than the wooden planes in general use. Planes like this were the prerogative of the most conscientious S 60 Fine Woodworking ome years ago I was fortunate enough to acquire an old cast gun-metal smoothing plane made by J. Rodgers of Minshull Street, Manchester, England and bearing the date 1886. The craftsmen executing consummate work to the highest standards. The first step is to make the iron, a process described on p. 63. Those who have already made steel tools will be quite familiar with how it is done. This article, however, is more concerned with cutting and soldering the body and flattening the plane's sole. Even if you never make a plane, flattening is a process that you can use to bring any plane sole to very close tolerances, something the factories can no longer afford to do. Cutting the body-My first inclination was to have a casting made, as the idea of making a wooden pattern and having someone else translate it into shiny gun-metal was particularly appealing. However, none of the foundries that I approached would cast fewer than five pieces (at substantial cost) . Plane makers at the turn of the century often made plane bodies by joining the sides to the sole with through dovetails in the metal. I decided to do the same, soldering the joints together. This proved to be a first-class way to fabricate a body in brass and I am sure that it will do just as well in steel for those who prefer it. I bought one bar of rolled brass 3 in. by Y. in. by 16 in. and two of 2% in. by X. in. by 14 in. The two smaller pieces had been cut from sheet and accordingly required some flattening with a ham